Friday, October 18, 2013

I was playing around with some Xyron products the other day (yep, they sent them to me, how great is that) and I inadvertently fell in love.

Ahem.
Seriously, I didn't expect to, I was like, uh, so it's tape......and adhesive dots.....what's the big deal. I like tape, mind you, I tend to collect a lot of different kinds. This is a double sided tape and I expected it would be like a multitude of others I have tried through the years. Uh.....not so!

See that ribbon, above? It's not a ribbon - that is TAPE! This tape tears by hand, you don't need scissors. It is a very thin tape and has a nice look. And it is S-T-I-C-K-Y. In a good way, not in an out of control omg somebody get this off my hand way. Yes, it is High Tack, but reasonably so.
I used it with pigments and powders, Primary Elements Artist Pigments by LuminArte. They are really gorgeous colors and I sprinkled a little bit of powder on a deli sheet and used one side of the tape to pick it up. When you peel the back side of the tape off, you can do it carefully and the tape will easily stay in a straight line. I was playing (of course!) and pulled it off really quickly and the tape is so thin it corkscrewed up into a completely cool shape which I then taped to my art. Once it is down on the art, you can then manipulate the tape with your finger into shapes. I am not kidding! It is really cool. And since its tape, it, well, sticks.
Another use for the tape - this is in my new book, Stencil Girl, you can make your own painted tapes. Just stencil and paint whatever you want, deli sheets are great for this, then stick the tape on the BACK side of the painted area. Use a paper cutter to carefully cut the tape out and when you are ready to use it, just peel off the backing paper. Easy! You still need to buy the book though. Just sayin'

Anyway, back to Xyron.

The Adhesive dots also were great with the powders. I dipped them into the powder and then used tweezers to peel the dot off its backing and place it on my art. They hold their shape nicely. Very fun I have to say. I bet you could make a pile of them or organize them into different configurations.

Cause you know I never met a circle I didn't like. I imagine an entire piece of art with little adhesive dots on it, but perhaps that's just me......

Monday, October 14, 2013

I am really proud to be part of my friend Pam Carriker's new book. She is such a superstar. I mean seriously......so very talented! But, at the same time, she is completely down to earth and authentic. Yeah, now you know why we are friends!

So, she is launching her latest book (which is awesome by the way!) LIVE on Facebook. Here is an INVITE.

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

My love affair with maps is many years old. The first series I ever did, Windows, involved collage using maps; my second series, Common Denominator had maps; Community used maps; One, a solo show I did incorporated lots of maps. I think you get the idea that I like maps, eh?
Uh....yeah.....
They are symbolic of so many things for me - land, soil, grounding - but also family, history, place.
Imagine my thrill when Mary Nasser told me she wanted to make map stencils for StencilGirl Products, I mean WOO HOO in all caps.
I had so much fun playing with her new stencils.The Latitude and Longitude Stencil is a stencil I know I will reach for frequently, I can already tell that - it is map-like but also celestial. And check out those ittby bitty carved claybord parts. That is Map Stencil. You can see the sweet little Compass too!

Planetary Sequence by Mary Beth Shaw

And guess what?
Every blog comment gets entered for a give away of a set of all 4 Mary Nasser map stencils. So be sure and leave me a comment below.
And then, hop along and go see what everyone else made.....